GENRE
	Action RPG
	DEVELOPER
	h.a.n.d.
	PUBLISHER
	Square-Enix
	NUMBER OF PLAYERS
	1
	WI-FI ENHANCED
	Yes
	DS COMPATIBLE
	No
	BUY NOW AT

Final Fantasy Fables: Chocobo's Dungeon is the latest installment in a long-running spinoff series featuring the fabled Final Fantasy bird. This Wii-specific entry of the series serves up an action RPG experience that, while unusual, proves to be a surprising gem of a dungeon crawler.

visuals

The game’s graphics engine is reminiscent of the GameCube title Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles. In other words, it’s the solid effort we’re used to from Square-Enix but it’s not going to win any awards for technical achievement. Like Chronicles, the game features some nice art design, nice characters, some cool splash effects, and a sprinkling of other nice touches. It’s a pretty fun game to watch, although it’s also a game that seems like it could have run on Wii’s predecessor.

audio

The soundtrack is pure aural nirvana for any Final Fantasy fan. Famed series composer Nobuo Uematsu was brought in to score the game’s soundtrack, and almost every numbered Final Fantasy game -- I through XII -- is represented in one way or another. Better still, all of it is fully orchestrated. The game features an unlockable jukebox that can play back all the tunes, and that alone is nearly worth the price of admission.

It’s hard to know what to make of the voicework. On the positive side, the game is absolutely loaded with voice-acted dialogue, and some of it is actually pretty good. The problem is that much of it is pretty shoddily choreographed. The lips of the characters, for example, often move out of sync with the words in a way that makes even old-school dubbed anime look sophisticated. There are also some unnatural pauses in dialogue among characters that spoil some of the most dramatic moments by robbing them of their urgency.

gameplay

Chocobo’s Dungeon proves to be quite a value-packed title. The main quest runs about 20 hours and sidequests will tack on about 5-10 more. As if that’s not enough, beating the game unlocks several more extra dungeons that can easily add another 5-10 hours to the game. In all, the game packs a total of 30-40 hours of gameplay wrapped up in a / retail package.

The game is a semi-sequel of sorts to the DS title Final Fantasy Fables: Chocobo Tales, but playing that game is not required to enjoy this one. At the same time, veterans of the last Chocobo game will instantly connect with some of this game’s characters. The plot -- which spins a yarn about a town where everyone has lost their memory -- starts off slowly and seems rather derivative, although the game has a few surprises that really give the storyline some punch later on.

Chocobo’s Dungeon is sort of an unusual hybrid between a turn-based and action RPG. Like an action RPG, Chocobo moves through areas in real-time; there are no battle transition screens or random battles, per say. Like a turn-based RPG, though, enemies only make a move after Chocobo does, so if Chocobo stands still, so does everything else, allowing for some time to pause and consider strategy. Notably, the game also uses a grid system that is reminiscent of some strategy RPGs.

Chocobo’s Dungeon is also a roguelike RPG, named after a 1980 computer game called Rogue. Roguelike games share specific characteristics, including an emphasis on dungeon-crawling, randomly-generated dungeon maps, and severe penalties for dying. Chocobo’s Dungeon adheres to these qualities, with some exceptions. The game is, at its core, a dungeon crawler; the player takes on the role of an oversized yellow bird named Chocobo and plunges into a series of dungeons where the levels are different each time the player enters them.

When it comes to death penalties, this game takes a somewhat more compassionate route than the traditional roguelike. In a classic roguelike, death of the character results in a complete loss of everything in the inventory and can also result (such as in the Wii RPG Baroque) in a loss of any experience points and levels accrued. By contrast, should Chocobo fall in a dungeon, he only loses any items not currently equipped. Equipped items and all experience points earned in the dungeon remain with the player. Some purists might object to the game’s more forgiving formula, but it serves to make the game challenging without being frustrating in the throw-the-controller sort of way that Baroque is. But make no mistake about it -- Chocobo’s Dungeon is still quite difficult and players can expect to fall in combat a lot more than they would in a standard RPG. We’re seasoned RPGers, for example, and we probably died a dozen times or more during the course of the game. In truth, it’s a bit refreshing to see a game really nail the difficulty level, giving a game that presents some challenge without being the controller-throwing experience that Fire Emblem is.

Aficionados of RPGs will be pleased to know that the game sports a lot of the key trappings of the genre. Chocobo, the playable character, can earn experience points, level up, and increase hit points. Weapons and armor can be bought, sold, and even combined and improved to make more powerful equipment. Items, too, can be bought and used, including phoenix downs and elixirs.

A central component of the game is the job system, which works exceptionally well. Throughout the game, Chocobo can acquire a total of ten different job classes, each with its own stats, strengths, and abilities. Each of the jobs is uniquely useful and fun to use, and all of the jobs draw from the Final Fantasy pantheon, whether it be the cone-capped black mage or the dragon-helmeted dragoon. Just like with the music, the job system is a tribute to the long and storied history of the series.

In addition to the main game, there are a few minigames to shake things up, including one that cannot be unlocked until the game has been completed. Three of the four are short-term diversions. The fourth is not -- Pop-up Duels. Drawn from the gameplay of Final Fantasy Fables: Chocobo Tales, the Pop-up Duel (PUD) minigame plays out something like Magic: The Gathering, with each player taking turns playing cards with specific effects. The deck of cards required for this minigame is acquired through the main game; the longer you play, the more potent of a PUD deck you are liable to have. It’s not as deep as Magic but it is a nice changeup from the main game and it has some lasting appeal.

Lastly, no discussion of a Wii title is complete without mentioning controls, which prove understated but adequate in this case. The game allows three different types of control: Wii remote held sideways, Wii remote held straight, and Classic Control. Among the options, the Wii remote held sideways or the Classic Controller are the best options, with the upright Wii remote configuration proving unwieldy. There is a little bit of IR and waggle use in the game, but most of it is pretty basic and all of it is confined to operations not connected to combat.

multiplayer

The Pop-up Duel component of the game can be played online via the Nintendo Wi-Fi connection, either with friends or against random opponents worldwide. On paper, this is a really nice extra to have. In practice, however, there are very few opponents playing online, probably because this is a minigame rather than a key part of the main game.

overall

For what it’s worth, Final Fantasy Fables: Chocobo’s Dungeon is the best Square-Enix game for a Nintendo home console since Final Fantasy VI (called Final Fantasy III at the time) hit SNES in the mid-90s. The game is more accessible and plot-driven than the peripheral-crazy Final Fantasy: Crystal Chronicles and is much longer and more satisfying than Dragon Quest Swords. It’s certainly not perfect, and it’s still pales in comparison to the full Final Fantasy treatment Xbox 360 and PS3 owners are getting, but it’s still one of Wii’s better RPGs to date and is worth a look for Wii owners looking for a solid role-playing adventure.

8.0/10